Power factor

[Putte]

Hi just a thought i had.

Is there any one that knows if there is a dual effect of using a induction motor as generator in that as soon it start to generate power it does smoothen out the loads and works in a power factor correction way and there for slowing down the meter in two ways??

I know that there is units small boxes you can buy and plug in to the utility to make the meter to slow down.

If it is in that way. would not there bigger gains using wind power this way then just making heat with an ordinary generator or?

Putte

[bigdan]

Just what are these small boxes? I could really use that slowing of the big wheel in the meter head.:)I dont know much about induction generators,But I am learning.

[bob golding]

hi, power companies really love ideas like this. i an not an authority on this so dont take it as gospel but  from what i gather they spend a lot of time correcting for power factor inbalance on thier power lines. its a juggling match to keep the load in phase with the output of the generating sets, so large capacititive loads like you are sugggesting are not welcome. bottom line is it costs them money to conpensate for it. industrial users have  differant meters and do use power factor correction. home meters are not designed for pfc so i dont think you would gain a lot plus there is the cost and hassle of buying the capacitors in the first place. its also probaly against there terms and conditions so you would have to hide them when they come to read the meter. much better to buy an electro-save meter and see where all your power is going. old fridges are one place to look.

bob golding

[Putte]

Hi bigdan,Bob golding

I can understand that the dont like if big loads is out of phase it cant be easy to have a big grid of ac current.

I have seen manufacturers of small wind generators sell 2 meters as 2.2 KW and there was maby more to it than just the generator generating power.

I just thought that the induction motor as a generator would cunsume pfc with no extra capacitors and in some way smoothen out the phases.

Did however talk to a swedish inventer that would start selling his own little box. He was very nice to talk to but reveling what was inside did he not :-)

Putte

[Flux]

An induction generator takes a lagging power factor from the supply just as an induction motor does.  Normally capacitors are used to improve the power factor in large installations.

For a small set up where you are not paying for reactive power you may not wish to bother with correction.

For stand alone induction generators capacitors or a clever pwm leading current simulator are needed to make it excite.

Flux

[Putte]

Hi thanks Flux.

Well i was thinking that there was some gain in power (money) if one compare parmanent magnet generator to a induction generator in that it would also slow down the meter by just eating some of the appernet power letting the meter to slow down an extra bonus to the generated power.

Just a thougth but i was maby in a wrong direction.

And that would explain that a 2 meters turbine could be sold as a 2.2KW

Putte.

[Putte]

Hmm maby my text in that one sounds dumb i dont want to connect a permanent magnet generator to the grid. Just to compere the total effect.

One permanent magnet generator connected to a heating element

One generator connected as a induction generator to the grid.

Both have the same turbine size and what would the outcome be if. And that there maby was som extra gain in the grid connected that it smoothening out the phase or some power factor to slow down the meter.

Putte